


Surprise, Surprise

by zimmer2d



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Birthday Party, Gen, for the goodest girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 21:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17030664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zimmer2d/pseuds/zimmer2d
Summary: Portia was all blushes and giggles, even as I placed the crown of sweet peas and lilacs around the top of her head. I may be able to concoct spells and potions, but it took way longer to construct this flower crown than I expected. “You sneak!” Portia gasps at me, “You didn’t forget at all!”“Of course not! You’ve only been talking about it all week,” I smile at her. She pulls me into a tight hug, wiping away the tears prickling at her eyes.





	Surprise, Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> happiest of birthday’s to the goodest girl! All the beer and bread pudding!

I finally manage to get the shop closed at a decent time. It’s the end of the week, the shop’s closed tomorrow; I’ve got half a mind to run a bath and do nothing for the remainder of the–

“Eros! Hey, Eros!”

I turn to see a mess of ginger hair and bright smile come bounding towards me as I blow out the candles in the window. “Portia! What are you doing here?”

“Oh… milady let me have an extended day off. Her headaches are growing terribly so she won’t be doing much, but she’s managing.” The bright smile faltered a bit. Portia really cares for the Countess…

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I tell her, “I bet I have a potion or something you can take back to her. Come in.”

Portia smiles and follows me inside, leaning over the counter, watching me collect this and that. “Let’s see… I’ll need some lavender… some nightshade… oh, some green tea leaves would help too…”

“Speaking of _tea_ …” Portia says with a conspiratorial lilt in her voice and a smug look on her face. “Let me tell you about what’s happening. So…” And Portia launches into this weeks gossip around town. It’s all rather entertaining, I think. Every week when I go shopping in the market, I catch Portia there and we talk about the comings and goings of Vesuvia over pumpkin bread. The butcher was caught with the fisherman’s husband again, the actors at the theater are fighting over the leads and now the entire production is postponed, and she had to sic Pepi on that stupid cockatoo again that won’t let her into the shed. All this, among other things, she rambled off with That Look™ that somehow is the most relatable look I’d ever identified with.

“How do you remember so much?” I ask as I hold my hands over the mixing bowl and let the holy water flow from my fingers.

“It’s not much to remember when you don’t have much to think about while working,” she smiles. I mutter a spell over the potion mixture, Portia’s blue eyes watching intently. “Kind of how you remember potions and spells and birthdays…”

“And what?” I have her repeat as the potion bubbles and fizzes loudly.

“Auspicious days,” she says quickly, her eyes snapping to mine. “Moon phases and such…”

I give her a bashful smile, “Well, I have books to remind me so I’d hardly say I remember anything.” The potion calms down and I bottle it up. “Have the countess pour three drops in her bath before bed. Should help her sleep at least.”

“Oh, Eros, you’re wonderful,” she says, “I’m sure she’ll be glad to have it.”

“Any time.” I glance at the windows. There was still a bit of sun left. And Asra isn’t around so I don’t have to make dinner. “It’s still a bit early. Let’s go to the tavern,” I suggest.

“T-tavern?” Portia repeats, a clearly dumbfounded look on her visage. “ _You_ want to go to the tavern?”

“Why not?”

“I’m not saying no,” she waves frantically, “I just… didn’t expect you to suggest going to the tavern.”

“Just seems like the thing to do today,” I shrug. I take up my bag, making sure to take a bit of money, grab my shawl and place the protections on the shop before we step out into the chilly evening. Portia continues to talk and I humor her, not really knowing what to contribute, but respond accordingly when expected to. We reach the tavern, already warm and lively and settle at a table near the musicians. “Fancy a beer?” I ask.

“I… sure,”  she says hesitantly. The barmaid comes and goes, then returns with a tankard of frothy beer for Portia and a mug of mulled wine for myself. We watch the people in the tavern, the dancers by the trio playing as they sway and whirl around. Two rather rowdy men took seats near us, attempting to chat us up, but Portia was beginning to feel the drink, once again, The Look ™ stuck on her face at their lame attempts.

“That has to be my favorite look of yours,” I tell her, “It just says so much.”

Portia blushes into her third round of beer, “It’s a face I use entirely too often, Eros,” she explains. “I used to only use it on Ilya, but…” her voice trailed off as she stared in the direction of the musicians.

That’s right, Julian hadn’t been in touch with her. The bright glow that emanated from her had diminished and she was uncharacteristically quiet. The barmaid made her way back as Portia wasn’t looking so I took the opportunity to turn her frown upside down. “Miss? Could you…?”

A few minutes passed and Portia was saddening by the second until the trio stopped their song. “Seems we have a request for a birthday today,” one of them announced to the tavern as our barmaid cleared a path to our table, a decadent piece of rum-raisin bread pudding a la mode held high with a candle lit in the middle. All eyes turned to Portia, the band striking up a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ as the other patrons sang along.

Portia was all blushes and giggles, even as I placed the crown of sweet peas and lilacs around the top of her head. I may be able to concoct spells and potions, but it took way longer to construct this flower crown than I expected. “You sneak!” Portia gasps at me, “You didn’t forget at all!”

“Of course not! You’ve only been talking about it all week,” I smile at her. She pulls me into a tight hug, wiping away the tears prickling at her eyes.

“Eros, I don’t know what to say,” she mutters. “Did you get the whole tavern in on it too?”

“No, that was just as much a surprise to me too,” I laugh, “Though if I had, you’d know about it, wouldn’t you?”

“What can I say?” Portia shrugs as she digs into her bread pudding, “I have a knack for those things.” We stay a bit longer, then make our drunken way through the empty streets back to the shop.

“Perhaps you should stay here tonight,” I suggest, heaving her upright as I clear the protections and unlock the door. “I wouldn’t want you trying to get back to the palace like this by yourself.”

Portia only nodded and I pushed open the door, though I immediately pause when I feel a presence near us. I look around, but no one is there. “Hm…” I lead Portia inside and settle her on a chair, preparing a hangover tea for us both before we go to bed so as not to feel the effects in the morning. As I’m pouring water into the kettle, a shadow passes over the window. I blink at it… am I really that drunk?

I fill our mugs and press one into Portia’s hand. “You know,” she hums as she tosses her flower crown onto the table, “It would’ve been nice to see Ilya. I’m not saying I didn’t have fun with you, Eros,” she smiles, “but I do miss my brother.”

“Understandable,” I agree and press my lips to my mug, then a realization hits me. I put down my cup and scramble to the door. “Hey! Hey, come back here!” I call to the darkness.

“Eros?” Portia calls with bewilderment laced through her voice. I feel the presence again, in the alleyway behind the shop, but now that I’m focused on it, it feels so familiar. Portia follows me, tipping a bit as she catches up to me and the dark figure at the end of the alley. “Eros, what’s–?”

“Happy birthday, Pasha,” the dark figure says. He removes his mask, Julian wearing that debonaire smirk as he gazed upon his sister.

“I-Ilya?” she gasps. She turns to me, taking my hand, “Tell me I’m drunk, Eros…”

“Yes, but I see him too. He’s really there,” I coax her forward to her brother’s open arms. She reaches out carefully, her hand making contact with his coat before she falls into him, holding onto him tightly. Julian wraps his long arms around her, muffling her happy tears. I invite them inside and let the siblings talk as I prepare a mug of tea for Julian.

A few hours pass before Julian stands with a sigh on his lips. “It’s unfortunate, but I must take my leave,” he casts a somber look on Portia. “I can’t stay in one place for too long.”

“You can stay with Pepi and me,” Portia suggests. Perhaps it was the beer still talking, but even in my inebriated state that sounds like a bad idea. Julian seems to be thinking the same.

“It’s much more dangerous to stay that close to the palace. Particularly for you. I could never…” Portia sighs in defeat, but Julian smiles at her, “but, I can escort you home to be sure you’re safe.”

Portia nodded with a small smile. “Ok.” She turns to me and before I’m ready, she pulls me into a tight, nearly backbreaking hug. “Thank you so much, Eros. This is was the best birthday ever.”

I pat at her back, more to get her to let go than as a return of affection. “You’re very welcome…” I grit out. Portia lets go of me and all the air rushes back to my lungs. “Take care of her Julian.”

“Of course,” he bows and ushers Portia out. As they leave, I put a basic concealment charm on them. A little extra security never hurt anyone.

“Now, about that bath,” I mutter to myself, taking my tea and the flower crown up to bed. She’ll be back tomorrow. She’ll need that potion of the Countess… or I could just make another. Can’t have a potion go to waste…

 


End file.
